Thinking about these and other statements made by the man who wears the title of president. I keep wondering what country he believes he's president of.

In one of my very favorite stories, Edward Everett Hale's "The Man without a Country," a young Army lieutenant named Philip Nolan stands condemned for treason during the Revolutionary War, having come under the influence of Aaron Burr. When the judge asks him if he wishes to say anything before sentence is passed, young Nolan defiantly exclaims, "Damn the United States ! I wish I might never hear of the United States again!"

The stunned silence in the courtroom is palpable, pulsing. After a long pause, the judge soberly says to the angry lieutenant: "You have just pronounced your own sentence. You will never hear of the United States again.. I sentence you to spend the rest of your life at sea, on one or another of this country's naval vessels - under strict orders that no one will ever speak to you again about the country you have just cursed."

And so it was. Philip Nolan was taken away and spent the next 40 years at sea, never hearing anything but an occasional slip of the tongue about America. The last few pages of the story, recounting Nolan's dying hours in his small stateroom - now turned into a shrine to the country he fore swore - never fail to bring me to tears. And I find my own love for this dream, this miracle called America , refreshed and renewed. I know how blessed and unique we are.

But reading and hearing the audacious, shocking statements of the man who was recently elected our president - a young black man living the impossible dream of millions of young Americans, past and present, black and white - I want to ask him, "Just what country do you think you're president of?"

You surely can't be referring to the United States of America , can you? America is emphatically a Christian nation, and has been from its inception! Seventy percent of her citizens identify themselves as Christian. The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution were framed, written and ratified by Christians. It's because this was, and is, a nation built on and guided by Judeo-Christian biblical principles that you, sir, have had the inestimable privilege of being elected her president.

You studied law at Harvard, didn't you, sir? You taught constitutional law in Chicago ? Did you not ever read the statement of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and an author of the landmark "Federalist Papers": "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers - and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation - to select and prefer Christians for their rulers"?

In your studies, you surely must have read the decision of the Supreme Court in 1892: "Our lives and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian."

Did your professors have you skip over all the high-court decisions right up till the mid 1900's that echoed and reinforced these views and intentions? Did you pick up the history of American jurisprudence only in 1947, when for the first time a phrase coined by Thomas Jefferson about a "wall of separation between church and state" was used to deny some specific religious expression - contrary to Jefferson ' s intent with that statement?

Or, wait a minute . were your ideas about America 's Christianity formed during the 20 years you were a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ under your pastor, Jeremiah Wright? Is that where you got the idea that " America is no longer a Christian nation"? Is this where you, even as you came to call yourself a Christian, formed the belief that " America has been arrogant"?

Even if that's the understandable explanation of your damning of your country and accusing the whole nation (not just a few military officials trying their best to keep more Americans from being murdered by Jihadist) of "not always living up to her ideals," how did you come up with the ridiculous, alarming notion that we might be "considered a Muslim nation"?

Is it because there are some 2 million or more Muslims living here, trying to be good Americans? Out of a current population of over 300 million, 70 percent of whom are Christians? Does that make us, by any rational definition, a "Muslim nation"?

Why are we not, then, a "Chinese nation"? A "Korean nation"? Even a "Vietnamese nation"? There are even more of these distinct groups in America than Muslims. And if the distinction you're trying to make is a religious one, why is America not "a Jewish nation"? There's actually a case to be made for the latter, because our Constitution - and the success of our Revolution and founding - owe a deep debt to our Jewish brothers.

Have you stopped to think what an actual Muslim America would be like? Have you ever really spent much time in Iran ? Even in Egypt ? You, having been instructed in Islam as a kid at a Muslim school in Indonesia and saying you still love the call to evening prayers, can surely picture our nation founded on the Quran, not the Judeo-Christian Bible, and living under Shariah law. Can't you? You do recall Muhammad's directives [Surah 9:5,73] to "break the cross" and "kill the infidel"?

It seems increasingly and painfully obvious that you are more influenced by your upbringing and questionable education than most suspected. If you consider yourself the president of a people who are "no longer Christian," who have "failed to live up to our ideals," who "have been arrogant," and might even be "considered Muslim" - you are president of a country most Americans don't recognize.

Thursday, August 6

I remember during WWII being shocked at hearing how German children were encouraged to report friends and family to the government who opposed Hitler. Since I was being taught that I was free to speak out in opposition to my government if I had good reason to oppose something about it, reporting others for their political opinions seemed particularly frightening to me.

So now we learn that the Obama administration has done exactly that same thing. They want their supporters to report anyone who sends out e-mails opposing Obama's health plan. Shades of Nazi Germany.

I suggest all of us who oppose this latest offense to a free society of Obama's send in our own e-mail addresses (and I will send in the URL to this blog). There is safety in numbers even if Obama does call us "racists" and whatever else he comes up with.

Germany went down in flames because people were afraid to oppose Hitler. All signs are pointing in a similar direction for the United States and I, for one, will stand up and fight back. Bring on the gas chamber.

Wednesday, August 5

So we (Hubby and I) decided to turn in our trusty 1995 Pontiac TransPort (his fav car of all time) to the cash for clunkers program.

Why not? It has 230,000 miles on it, occasionally runs its own battery down for no apparent reason and the windshield wipers work only in sunshine. Since we transport our Downs grandchild to a special school 25 miles away four days a week, we do need something newer and safer. We didn't plan to replace it. Ever. At least not until it decided to quit.

We are not enamored of new cars. We buy something we like and as long as it runs, it's good. We don't have egos tied up in our autos! (I loved my 1964 Corvair and drove it over 300,000 miles until it gave its last gasp and died.)

But our local auto dealer had some great deals on new cars and Cash for Clunkers simply made it possible for us to comfortably afford to replace the old one. Not even with a 2009, however. We bought a 2008.

We don't have our new car yet; we're waiting to be sure the dealer gets his money. But we're quite relieved to anticipate taking our grandson to school in a much, much safer vehicle.

HOWEVER, this program isn't going to affect global warming one tiny little smidgen. To do that Congress needs a SunSpot Regulation program as well as a Cap and Seal Volcano program. Controlling the wobble of the earth in its orbit might help, too, but stopping ALL emissions from fuel-guzzling vehicles world-wide wouldn't do it. Too many scientists who have controlled their research and experiments (and that includes NOT putting temperature gauges near the exhaust from jet aircraft) have data that is far more reliable than the politically-oriented "scientists" data.

What many people don't seem to realize is that as the economy slowed, too many people had to wait to replace cars, so the auto industry suffered. With this program everyone benefits -- the auto industry (and not just government-owned GM) and people get safer cars. Seems to me that once this is an accomplished fact, it's just dumb to not take advantage of it.

Friday, July 31

Since the present President of the United States refers to the former President as "Bush" I see no reason why anyone should refer to him as anything other than "Obama." He doesn't havc enough respect for the office to wear a coat and tie in the Oval Office, anyway. He'd rather be cool. So it's just as cool to call him "Obama."

But it's not cool to be invited to dinner at the White House anymore. You might have to pay because it could look like he's currying your favor. (Has he ever done anything else with anyone?) How totally tacky.

I do hope he charges guests for staying in the Lincoln Bedroom. That should put the White House in the class with fancy B&Bs.

It's obvious that Obama and his staff have no concept of the things that built this country, like ethics and honor. He certainly doesn't know how to be economical -- we need to charge him personally for use of Air Force One, for example. That might make him stay home and use computer technology for meetings for a change.

Our brilliant media decided he was intelligent because he carried books around during the campaign (with the titles facing outward, of course). They didn't bother to ask him to find out if he was reading them -- to discover that, they'd have had to read the books so they could ask questions. Reporters don't read books; they just judge others. Sarah Palin was so insulted by Katy Curic's question about her reading that she flubbed her answer and the idiots in the press, never known for sensitivity anyway) thought that meant she didn't read.

Bill Maher is right. Some Americans are stupid but most of the really dumb ones are either liberal/progressive politicians, mainstream media or entertainers.

Admitting that he didn't know anything about the circumstances involved and still calling the arresting officer's action "stupid" probably wasn't the most racist thing we've seen Obama say or do since his election but it ranks up there as one of the dumbest. He should apologize.

According to reports, the professor was in the act of jimmying his own front door because he had forgotten his key when someone called the police. When confronted on his front porch by a police officer, said professor burst into racial accusations and extreme profanity -- extreme to the point of insulting the officer's mother.

Seems to me that if a white man did that to a police officer, he would get exactly the same treatment -- a citation for "disorderly conduct."

I wonder if Obama et al have stopped to realize that the very country and system he so despises have catapulted him to success. Yes, he had to work for it, but in most countries (and especially in Africa) he might very well have worked that hard to no avail.

And does he realize that what he does in his Presidency can make or break any opportunities for others of his race to achieve what he has?

Blacks still are a statistical minority in the USA -- 13.5%. Yet they've imposed a huge influence on our society -- music, art, clothing. Obama and those who have come before him like Marshall, Thomas, Rice, DuBois, Davis, Powell and a myriad of others have wielded huge influence and gained tremendous respect not only for themselves but for their race.

It seems to me that race relations in America are fast deteriorating, mainly because of the quick-draw accusations of racism that come from the President and his followers. Object to something a black politian does or says and you're a racist. Disagree with Obama and it's because of his color rather than his speech, policies or actions. I will be called a racist for writing this. Tough.

Most white people I know have long ago embraced friendships with our black neighbors and have done all we can to help them when they need help, just as we help our white, asian, muslim and hispanic friends and neighbors. But it becomes tiresome to hear the rants of Rev. White and to hear Obama apologizing for our history. Faulty it may be in places, but overall America has sacrificed more for all races and religions across the world than any other. And most of us, though saddened by our losses, are proud of what our nation has done to bring freedom and liberty to all.

It's also incredibly tiresome to constantly put up with all the black whining about slavery and discrimination while doing everything they can to earn and deserve that discrimination -- the professor's reaction to the police being a prime example amplified by Obama's accusation. There's a story about Cassius Clay (before he was Muhammed Ali) that blacks will do well to note: When he returned from a fight in Africa a reporter asked him what he thought of that country. His response, "I'm glad my ancestors got on that boat."

Obama and blacks should remember that although life has not been perfect or in some cases even fair, it has been far better for them in America than it has been and is for most blacks in Africa. They should stop whining and get on with building great lives. Great lives build great countries.

And Obama should remember that he has benefitted most of all from a country he is quick to condemn. He owes the police of this nation an apology.

Thursday, July 9

A Congresswoman wants a PERMANENT resolution to honor Michael Jackson? Why? What did he ever do that made a real difference? Although those who do not know music claim he changed it some way for the better -- without defining just what that was -- so what? He was an entertainer, for heavens' sake. I take that back, he never did anything for heavens' sake -- everything he did was for his own sake. He was a narcissistic lightweight, as most of those people in Hollywood are.

Did he ever serve his country? I doubt if he ever even paid much in taxes -- the biggest business in Hollywood is accountants whose main business is to help the stars avoid taxes as much as possible. That's one reason he had homes in Bahrain, France and Ireland.

No, he didn't serve his country. He didn't even use his "talent" to entertain the troops. Once, in 2007, while attending parties in Japan, he took time to meet and greet some American troops who were stationed there but he didn't do anything for them. Just honored them with his presence.

If Congress wants to honor someone, I suggest they take a moment of silence and prepare a beautiful plaque for EACH of our troops who die in Iraq and Afghanistan. And they should make it retroactive -- the catch-up might keep Congress out of trouble for a few hours.

It seems the troops have noticed, as well. This is going around the Internet:

Okay, I need to rant.

I was just watching the news and I caught part of a report on MichaelJackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer whoperformed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot ofthings that make him a villain to many people. I understand that his death wouldaffect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but thatisn't the point of my rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses its mind withgrief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAINpeople, the American people find the need to hold a "moment of silence" for hispassing?

Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's afreaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What about allthose SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those soldiers who, knowingthat they would be asked to fight a war, still raised their hands and swore todefend the Constitution and the United States of America? Where is their momentof silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials andmourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when asoldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance" and "thank God forIEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the sacrifice of GOOD MENand WOMEN that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths and instead, throwthemselves into mourning for a "pop icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS forMichael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service memberkilled in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life thathas been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives inthe luxury and freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have goneon , have provided for them. But...wait...that would take too much time, becausethere have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will nevermake millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs thatthe world will listen to. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so that peoplecan enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Feel free to pass thisalong if you want.

Isaac"

I'm offended, too, Isaac. You and your compatriots are true heroes and most of us honor you and your service. We are so grateful for you and so proud of all you do. God bless.

Wednesday, July 8

I'm coming to believe that Average Americans are just plain narcissistic and stupid. (Thank you, National Education Association.) Narcissistic because they value entertainment and looks over facts and intellect in almost all phases of life. It's a "me first" mentality that is sick and destructive to a fully functioning society.

Here's some venting: 1. After 8 years of whining and criticism of my country and its leader by the "Progressive" Left, I feel no obligation to be generous and soft in my judgments of them and their leadership. 2. I am shocked at the anger I see around me -- this is not comparable to the trumped-up squalling we've seen from the Left about Cheney and Pres. Bush. This is true, teeming, building frustrated ANGER. Dangerous anger. Last week in a tiny town in the midwest I saw a sign -- a merchant's roadside sign -- that said, "Get Obama." I see only one way to take that and it shocked me. 3. But I understand the sentiment. Anyone with a household budget knows that if you're in debt, you pay expenses first, save a little and pay the debt off as fast as you can. The one thing you do NOT do is add to that debt and say you inherited the old debt from the year before so that (somehow) keeps you from being responsible for adding more. The Democratic Way. 4. Shallowness and mediocrity abound. The media and the un-cultured have spent a solid week sanctifying a mediocre rock "artist" who did NOT add anything to the development of either his profession or his culture and Obama is exactly of that ilk. He is a showman who does not know or understand the history of the country his is supposed to be serving. However, it's obvious he's not serving anyone or anything other than himself. 5. I am so sick of congress-people like Murtha who have no respect for our troops and for Obama who is so eager to send them into a war that can't be won. He doesn't have the sense to draw them into a country where he CAN beat them -- like Iraq. 6. I'm disgusted with a president who can't honor the efforts of those who came before him and who goes out of his way to apologize for the only country on earth that put its resources and young people on the line to secure freedom for most of the countries of Europe and Eastern Europe...and Iraq. 7. All my life I've believed in acceptance of and understanding those of different ethnic or religious persuasions but Obama has changed my mind. He, who claims to be a Christian, denies the Christian symbols and even the Christian basis of this country. My feeling now is that the United States is based on Christian ideals (our rights, after all, come from God -- may we assume that if you don't believe in God, you don't have those rights?) and we should be denying citizenship to anyone who refuses to speak our language and acknowledge our God. This opens citizenship to Jews and Muslims, you'll notice, but denies it to atheists and the ACLU. After all, we are a finite land mass and our native population is growing. We don't need immigrants of any kind. 8. As for the American press -- you are worthless and I will no longer listen to you or support you in any way. I can get much more intelligent, reasonable and valuable opinions of events from the BBC and from a variety of news sources on the Internet. To ABC, NBC and CBS, you are worthless unless I happen to be in the mood to laugh at you. I have a list of your sponsors and I do not buy their products. 9. As for denying "free speech" to people like Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers, I would if I could. I have decided that free speech belongs only to those who would not advocate murder and destruction of property. As for Obama's relationship to them, my Mother always warned me to pick my friends carefully, and she said, "Birds of a feather, flock together." Experience has proved that to be wise advice. 10. Regarding Sarah Palin: When the press became so hysterical about her, I began to look into her background seriously. It is impressive. She is probably the person who could have led us into prosperity, judging by what she has done in the past. Since her priorities are God, family and country, in that order, I suspect she was forced to resign so that she could make enough money to keep up with the onslaught of legal fees forced by "Progressive" Leftists. They do not fight fair -- they know they would lose every fight if they did. So they attack her children and force her into spurious lawsuits. Soros has the money; Palins do not. But Sarah's a fighter and she'll fight back. She'll fight fairly and she'll win. And I plan to support everything she does in every way I can. What a comfort to know a woman like her still exists in the world. 11. At the risk of being called a racist (I'm not so I don't care what you think), Obama will make or break the chances of us electing another black president. With the kind of irresponsible fiscal policies he's directing at the moment, breaking seems more likely. That's a shame because there are real American blacks out there who deserve a chance and who would be good for the nation. Examples? J.C. Watts, Condoleeza Rice, et al. 12. Obama's success is proof that the American system has worked -- a child from a broken family, educated through public funds and using affirmative action to get ahead -- proof that the system should NOT be changed and is one that Americans can take great pride in. It is amazing that his wife does not see that she should have been proud of her country when her husband bought a million dollar house. And that was long BEFORE he was elected president. 13. I am ashamed of those who apologize for slavery in this country. My great-grandfather was a slave owner who educated some of his slaves and who made sure they attended his church. The facts about the lives of many of the slaves were better than they are commonly portrayed. And there's the story of Cassius Clay returning from Africa. The press asked him what he thought of conditions in that country. He replied, "I'm just glad my ancestors got on that boat."Yes, descendants of slaves have (and have had) it much better here than they would have had in Africa. 14. I question whether Ms. Sotomayor is really the best qualified person Obama could find to serve on the Supreme Court at this time. Looks to me like she is the best qualified hispanic-American woman and that's not at all the same thing. America deserves the best LEGALLY qualified with no other tags being relevant. And as for her statement regarding "a wise Latina woman" being able to reach a "better conclusion" than a "white male who hasn't lived that life," because of her experiences can be reversed and it has the same authority. The key words here are conclusion (in what case) and experiences (those would speak only to certain circumstances and would disqualify her in others). The question thus becomes, how many cases come before the Supreme Court that a hispanic woman could judge better than anyone else? 15. Have we lost our votes? When people like Sen. Murtha are re-elected by the people of Pennsylvania one can't help but wonder. Are they stupid or are they allowing the electoral process to be corrupted by money and politicians. The same goes for Minnesotans electing Frankel -- the man is most disrespectful of anything he doesn't support. If we let elections be bought, we lose the democratic republic. Chicago has held fixed elections for years and gotten away with it. ACORN (Association of Community Organizors for Reform Now) had to change its name to Community Organizors International (horrors -- they're contaminating other countries, as well) because they've corrupted so many elections. Reform means nullifying authentic votes with illegitimate ones. 16. Along those lines -- why does the public allow the media and the Left get away with claiming that the Supreme Court threw the 2004 election? Read the decision -- it referred to the Constitution, which mandated that the election be sent back to the Florida legislature. They followed the Constitution; they did not "throw" the election. Look it up. 17. Obama's citizenship. A child born to an American citizen is an American citizen. That's it. Obama's mother was an American. He was raised as a Muslim but he's an American citizen no matter where he was born. Get over it.

Wednesday, June 24

The United States should request a meeting of the Security Council to consider sending a force to Iran for the sole purpose of setting up and monitoring an election. France would join, as would Israel and Germany for starters.

It would be made clear from the start that this is not a military invasion but troops that will oversee the election to be certain there's no threatening or coercion of the voters and that the votes are counted.

It is the kind of thing that the United Nations should -- and could -- do to assure liberty, equality and peace in the world.

And the election should be held in honor of Neda and the million of unknown innocents who have died needlessly in wars.

Sunday, June 21

Obviously not in Iran, even though it is obvious that assuring free elections there would change the course of the Middle East dramatically.

So why hasn't the USA insisted on an emergency session at the UN to intervene in the Iranian crisis?

As the leaders of the free world we should be enlisting help from other nations to go into Iran and monitor a truly free election to be sure that the Iranian people get what their government obviously does not want them to have.

Dropping acid from helicopters onto crowds of protesting citizens in the streets is not the action of a government elected by the people. When government leaders turn guns on their constituents, it is time for other governments to intervene -- not to take over but to assure that the people achieve free elections.

We're accused of intervention anyway, so what do we have to lose? What we have to gain is immense because it is obvious that the people of Iran want change and are willing to risk their lives to get it. The trouble is, the people don't have the ability to fight guns and acid.

When we needed help in the 18th century the French came and fought for us. We are not asked to fight for Iranians but simply to assure that they have a free election. That's what the UN (and our participation in the UN) is for.

Thursday, June 18

S.Con.Res. 26, the apology for slavery that supposedly passed the Senate today is no longer available through the Senate web site. I wonder why.

Maybe someone with more power than a single American voter felt the way I do: That the "apology" was disingenuous at best and insulting at worst. It reminds me of the schoolyard bully being forced to apologize for beating up a playground nerd -- he did it because he was forced to, he didn't mean it and it is useless.

Slavery isn't acceptable in our society today. Forcing others to think like we do, cursing them for having different opinions, belittling them when we disagree with them is acceptable but slavery isn't. That wasn't the case 200 years ago. Sure, some people objected to it just as some people object to the hatred that is commonly spewed around the Internet and on our airwaves today.

I happened to see Joy Behar on The View, blaming Fox commentator Bill O'Reilly for the murder of Dr. Tiller (because O'Reilly called him "Tiller the Baby Killer," which is what many Kansans have called Tiller for years). She (and other media pundits) claim that conservatives inspire right wing extremists to murder -- and yet she sees nothing wrong with degrading someone she doesn't like. Her nasty comments about Sarah Palin come immediately to mind.

It doesn't seem to occur to people who enjoy smart little put-downs and snide comments about anyone -- and there are certainly more of those on the left than on the right side of the political spectrum -- that they are the ones who foment hatred. Ugliness is never funny; put-downs reflect on the person who uses them, not the recipient of them.

An apology for slavery from people who never held slaves nor condoned the institution in any way is a huge put-down, not of slave holders but of the descendants of the victims of the institution. It's comparable to Behar's nastiness and Ann Coulter's rudeness -- and in the long run it does more harm than good.

My great- grandfather was a slave owner. According to a book my grandfather wrote about his home life, the family took great pride in the fact that their servants were healthy and were treated like extended family members, even to the extent of attending church together. Aside from human and humane considerations, it was only practical to take good care of them and to provide well for them.

I do not apologize for slavery. Furthermore, I do not judge the generations who came before me for their beliefs or their actions since there is no way that I can "walk in their shoes" well enough to understand.

I only hope future generations will not judge me for living in a society that condones the murder of babies or, among many, many other things, that thinks belittling people for any reason is humor.